An Encounter with Cats
by bookworm1945
Summary: The Phantomhive household has welcomed Oz Vessalius and Co. with hospitality, for the most part. But when Sebastian discovers that Gilbert has a huge phobia of his beloved cats, he can't resist teasing the man a little.
1. Chapter 1

Gilbert strode through downtown London, unsure of what to make of the figure beside him. The two men carried parcels and groceries that, while important and much needed, were usually delegated to the other servants to deal with. In this case, however, the young Earl Phantomhive had wanted his butler to personally pick up these packages. Oz, of course, had thought this a _grand _opportunity for Gil to "learn the lay of the land" in relation to the earl's staff and the city of London.

Thus Gilbert Nightray found himself walking through London with Sebastian Michaelis, an intimidating figure to say the least. Gil shifted the packages in his arms, and took the opportunity to sneak a glance at the butler as they walked. Sebastian strode down the street with an air of confidence and calm self-assuredness, dressed impeccably in his suit and starched white gloves. His dark, straight hair seemed about the length Gil's would be if it weren't so curly. Sebastian's face had been impassive as they walked, but now the corners of his mouth twitched in amusement as he felt the curious scrutiny of the young man beside him.

Gilbert flushed with embarrassment, knowing he had been caught studying the mysterious butler. He quickly looked ahead and opened his mouth to break the silence between them when he realized that Sebastian was suddenly no longer at his side. Gil stopped, confused, and searched his surroundings for Sebastian before he heard a voice that was unmistakably the butler's voice coming from a nearby alleyway.

"Madam, you look _exquisite_ today. You have just bathed, yes? Your mane is so sleek, so soft… to the touch…"

Gilbert, who had always been a rather shy person, blushed slightly as he heard Sebastian cooing flattery to—what he supposed-was a woman in the alley. It surprised Gil immensely to hear the butler speaking that way; he never imagined he would hear those words coming from that mouth. But people can always surprise you, and he had only met the man for the first time a few days ago. Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he walked to the head of the alley to fetch his senior back to their task. As he reached the alley, he looked inside to see what woman Sebastian had enthralled in his words.

Gilbert screamed. To his dismay, no, his horror, Sebastian did not have a beautiful woman in his arms—or even an ugly one. In the professional, seemingly-perfect butler's arms, there was a small black cat, who was in the process of rubbing her face against Sebastian's cheek and purring loudly. The man in question was smiling blissfully as he murmured adoring words to the feline.

Gilbert, meanwhile, stumbled back in surprise—and yes, fear. The image before him—the admirable butler who seemed uncannily perfect adoring a creature that had given Gil nightmares as a child—almost sent the poor man into shock. Sebastian looked up at Gil's excessive reaction, surprised to see the unflappable young man so agitated.

"Whatever is the matter, Master Gilbert?" he asked in normal tones.

Gilbert stared at him, trembling slightly. "I'm just not… a cat person."

Sebastian looked down at the purring cat, and a wave of contentment washed across his face.

"I don't understand what the problem is with you and the young master. Cats are wondrous beings, so beautiful, and intelligent, and…" He trailed off as the cat rubbed her face against his once more. He sighed, blissful, and walked over to where Gil was standing. Gil eyed him warily as he came closer, and the creature in Sebastian's just _seemed_ to glare at him. Gil's breath caught in his throat, and he quickly backed away a step. Sebastian, noticing Gil's anxiety, put the cat down, but his lip quirked up in an amused smile as Gil audibly sighed in relief. Picking up the groceries and parcels that he had previously set down, Sebastian started down the street again, leaving Gilbert to catch up. Although lasting only a few moments, the stress of the encounter was still evident on Gil's face as he walked beside Sebastian. Gil was startled, however, when the butler suddenly cleared his throat and looked away.

"Are you alright?" he asked inquisitively.

"Oh yes, nothing to worry about."

Having been assured, Gil dismissed his concern and focused on determining their location and the street they would have to turn onto shortly. So it was that while he was searching street posts, he didn't see the –almost malicious—smile of amusement on the Sebastian's face as a thought concerning his younger associate and cats occurred to him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi all! Sorry it took me so long to update. I think I have commitment problems. Anyway, happy new year! New Year's Day was really slow for me, so writing just seemed like a good idea. Oh, and keep in mind the rate at which I turn out chapters is directly proportional to the amount of reviews I get!**

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Chapter 2: A New Challenge

Ciel Phantomhive is, to say the least, composed. If one were to ask any who had met him, one would discover that the thirteen year old was not only composed, but possessing more wit and superiority than most adults. In normal circumstances, Earl Phantomhive commanded any given room with his presence. Most adults he meets defer to him, and only partly because of his rank. The fact that a mere child can rest in calm superiority and utmost confidence has been known to disturb many so-called adults. It would undoubtedly disturb them more if they were aware that Ciel was more in control of any given situation than they could ever hope to be, even if in the most drastic situations his control is exercised via proxy.

Today, the earl's proxy was in town. Normally this wouldn't cause the earl any undue concern, but at the moment he would have liked to have the comforting presence of his butler at his back. There are few things that would upset the young earl on a daily basis, and among those, few rank high enough to match the discomfort he was feeling now. _Lizzie in a pique might do it_, he mused. He discarded the idea. He could deal with his irreverent fiancé. The boy in front of him, a year or so Ciel's senior, was an untapped challenge. Oz Vessalius, current houseguest of one Ciel Phantomhive, beamed at his host from across the small tea-table Sebastian had thought to set up before his departure, despite tea-time being hours away at the time. _Very thoughtful, that,_ Ciel thought. Although he was at loathe to admit it, his butler's competence never ceased to amaze him. _Where does a demon learn to be a perfect butler, anyway?_ Ciel wondered.

Ciel quickly squashed the thought. A perfect butler would not leave him here, alone, with this… being. _Aren't his cheeks aching from smiling so much?_ he thought irritably. He had not realized he had muttered the words aloud until a lively "Nope!" came from the boy in front of him.

Ciel tried to hide his startled expression in a cup of Earl Grey. Unfortunately, Oz was either totally oblivious to Ciel's aversion to conversation or was deceivingly adept at making the young earl feel uncomfortable. Oz picked up a pastry and admired it in the afternoon light. "This really is great. I feel like Gil should let me have tea sometime."

Ciel stifled the curiosity that arose with the comment and attempted civil conversation. "Indeed, Sebastian is exceedingly competent. I am fortunate to have him." Oz tilted his head in an inquisitive manner. Ciel's words rang with the stiff indifference of polite conversation. Oz had never realized until now how much he hated polite conversation until it fell from the lips of one younger than himself. He decided a change of subject was in order.

"Hey Ciel," Ciel winced at the casual use of his given name, "can we go explore your townhouse? There doesn't seem to be many ways to pass the time here…" In his mind, Oz was currently trying to figure out what hobbies or interests he had. The things that came up were not encouraging. Travelling into the Abyss or hunting chains was not a healthy pastime for a boy of only…..how old was he anyway? 14? 24? Faced with a boy like Ciel who wasn't messed up three ways from Sunday, Oz was feeling slightly out of place.

Ciel faltered at the word "explore" –what exactly did that entail?—but quickly agreed to his guest's request. As Oz took him by the hand and dashed off to find any hidden passageways, dragging Ciel behind him, the young earl quickly began to question his decision.

* * *

Gilbert Nightray was never happier to see the Phantomhive London townhouse. One might say that this is because Gilbert has only seen the townhouse from the outside on two other occasions, and thus the likelihood of him being happiest on seeing it on this occasion is a simple matter of probability, but let's disregard that and write off his happiness to a reprieve from wandering felines.

Before today, Gil had been blissfully ignorant as to just how many cats…._infested_ the city. It seemed that every alleyway held at least three of the vicious little creatures. Sebastian, of course, had taken great pleasure in stopping to greet and stroke each and every cat they passed, no matter how haggard. Sometimes Gil thought he saw the butler glance his way and smile before he bent down to stroke one of the alley cats, but Gil, innocently, labeled it paranoia and shoved the feeling aside.

Meanwhile, as Sebastian led his young helper toward the front entrance, ideas and schemes that could prove very entertaining indeed thoughtfully planned themselves out in the butler's head. He opened the front door with his trademark grace, not even bothering with the supposedly engaged lock mechanism. Gil wondered at that, as the door had needed to be unlocked on other occasions.

Any thoughts of locks or lack thereof were quickly driven out of his mind by the sight that awaited them inside the townhouse.

**HA. Cliffhanger. My reasoning is that this will motivate me to write more. Thanks for reading! (I promise the next chapter will be out sooner)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello all! What did I say? Cliffhangers really do motivate me! That said, I'll try not to leave you guys in suspense too often. Thank you so much for the reviews. They are my meat and drink. This chapter is, regrettably, lacking in the cat department. BUT, it lays groundwork for fun cat shenanigans. Please be patient with me.**

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Chapter 3: An Ordeal

Gilbert stood in the doorway of the Phantomhive townhouse, gaping over Sebastian's shoulder at the strange sight in front of them. The main foyer opened up before them, twin staircases running on either side of the room to lead to the upper levels and walkways looking down into the main hall, bordered with intricately carved railings. Due to this arrangement, the ceiling of the foyer was unusually high, and from it hung a magnificent chandelier, crafted in iron and set with gold leaf in a woven pattern so that dark iron and polished gold were seemingly intertwined together.

However impressive, it wasn't the craftsmanship of the chandelier that caught the men's eyes, but rather who hung from it. A good 10 meters above the servants' heads, Ciel Phantomhive clung to an arm of the chandelier, lying atop it and wrapping his arms and legs around it in a viselike grip. His facial expression seemed to alternate between fear, embarrassment, and anger, often changing faster than Gil's shocked mind could process. Meanwhile, Oz sat on a makeshift swing beside the large chandelier, a small wooden board suspended by two ropes from an open hatch in the ceiling. In contrast to Ciel, Oz seemed to be looking around distractedly, swinging his legs, and…. humming. Gil would have laughed at the sight if his host was not in such an upset state.

Oz turned his attention toward the door and visibly brightened when Gil and Sebastian walked in. "Oh, there you are! Took your time, didn't you? Ciel hasn't been able to keep his mouth sh-"

Ciel interrupted him angrily. "Sebastian!" he all but shrieked. "Get me down from here!"

If one spent five minutes in a room with Ciel Phantomhive, one would know that Ciel never _shrieks_. Nor does his voice shake, nor does he cling to anyone, or finish a cup of tea still distraught. Nevertheless, this was a day of new things for Ciel, and these would be among the new experiences of the day.

Sebastian bowed. "Yes, my lord."

Sebastian carefully set down the groceries in his arms, sitting them upright on the marble tile floor. As soon as he was sure they were safe, he turned and sped up the left staircase, taking the steps…. Gil lost count. Many at a time, he was sure. The butler turned a corner and disappeared from sight, leaving the room in almost complete silence, which was broken only by the faint creaking of ropes as Oz swung back and forth on his swing and generally seemed unconcerned with life.

In a short minute, Sebastian had appeared at the open hatch above the foyer, and was swiftly lowering himself down hand over hand on the rope that was closest to Ciel. Even when he reached the wooden board that Oz was seated on, the lift was still a meter or so too short to reach Ciel. With a soft "Pardon me" in Oz's direction, the butler agilely lowered himself down, hooking the crook of his right leg onto the wooden seat so that he hung upside-down. It was a strange sight to see; one boy clinging to a chandelier, another boy sitting on a wooden lift, with an immaculately dressed manservant hanging from said lift by one leg, reaching out to the boy on the chandelier. _I'll have to tell this to Break later_, Gil thought. _He'll _love _this_.

By now Sebastian was level with Ciel. "Hold still, Master," Sebastian instructed as he slipped his arms around the boy's torso. "Now let go, please."

After a moment's hesitation, Ciel released his grip on the chandelier. He felt an instant of panic and vertigo and all manner of unpleasant sensations as he slipped from the chandelier, but his trust in his butler was quickly rewarded as the arms around him tightened and adjusted, until he was in an awkward but secure upside-down embrace. Ciel soon found that he was conveniently positioned head-down, right above Sebastian's neck and head, and quickly took the opportunity to secure his arms in a death-grip around Sebastian's neck. Sebastian coughed. "Glad to see you're holding on tightly, Master," he rasped through a tight smile.

Without any other warning, Sebastian placed the ball of his left foot on the side of the wooden board, simultaneously pushing with his left and pulling with his right to unhook from the lift. Using the momentum gained from the push, Sebastian twisted as he fell through the air, managing to land on his feet despite the burden in his arms. _Almost like a ca-_ … Gilbert squashed the thought with a shudder. He needed no reminder how much the butler reminded him of felines.

Sebastian unbent his knees and straightened, but quickly stooped again to put Ciel back on his feet. There were a few awkward moments as Sebastian remained bent over, Ciel apparently needing time to loosen the white-knuckled grip he had around Sebastian's neck. Eventually the boy released his hands, and attention turned back toward where Oz was still swinging above.

"Wow. That was just amazing. That's what, 10 meters, and you drop down just like that?" A mischievous glint lit Oz's eyes. "Hey Gil, can I try that?"

Gilbert paled. "ABSOLUTELY NOT! You'll break your neck! And I won't try and catch you!" A short _Yeah_, _right _ran through the minds of those present. Gilbert's voice was almost shaking.

Oz laughed at his friend's distress. "Alright, fine." To Gil's surprise, Oz started tugging on one of the ropes, and the lift started to rise toward the still-open hatch in the ceiling.

"Pulley system?" Gilbert asked. Sebastian nodded.

"The lift is designed for servants to be able to light and polish the chandelier without having to use a ladder. It's all very convenient."

By now Oz had disappeared into the hole in the ceiling, and the hatch closed with a quiet _thud._

* * *

Ciel aggressively sipped his tea. He had hoped to soothe his frayed nerves with a cup of Earl Grey, but it didn't seem to be doing the trick today. He paused his tea-drinking to nibble a biscuit left over from tea time, but any hopes he had of it settling his queasy stomach were of no avail. His ordeal with the cramped passageways that Oz had somehow managed to discover and the chandelier had left him in quite an upset. His clothes were dirty and wrinkled from crawling through confined spaces, his hair and face were stained with sweat and grime, and his stomach had not yet come to the understanding that it was back on firm ground. He brought his cup to his mouth, but was surprised when he found it already empty. Without a word, Sebastian filled it again from a teapot of freshly brewed tea.

They sat in the townhouse's main parlor, the very one Ciel and Oz had taken their tea in earlier. Oz was seated across from Ciel, animatedly telling Gilbert of the misadventures of the day. Strangely, Gilbert sat next to Oz, instead of standing, as was proper for a servant. Ciel wrote it off as the strange ways of foreigners. Ciel had earlier resolved that he and his staff would treat Gilbert as a guest, per the unusual nature of the houseguests, and Oz could treat Gilbert however he liked. The Queen had written him and insisted he entertain Oz Vessalius and Company, but had been characteristically vague about their origins. Sebastian had done what digging he could, but the results were surprisingly meager. All Ciel could tell for certain was that they were not from England, and they were human, which left him in an irritable disposition. Ciel lived off information, and his guests presented a neat little mystery.

So Ciel tried to take the unorthodox master-servant relationship shared by his guests in stride. Not that it was easy, but he tried.

"…. And I said I wanted to see the chandelier up close so Ciel told me that there was a service lift that dropped down from the ceiling so we found it but Ciel slipped while we were trying to figure out how it worked. So he was stuck on the chandelier while I had to manage the lift myself and…" Ciel twitched in annoyance at Oz's rambling narrative. He made it sound like Ciel was an eager accomplice, rather than an unfortunate individual who was unwillingly pulled along by Oz's whims. Ciel rarely did things he was unwilling to do. Oz, however, was a special case. His personality, while annoying, had a certain… magnetic trait to it.

Oz's narrative suddenly stopped as the boy turned toward his host, as if recalling something. "Oh Ciel, I just remembered. One of my friends was delayed, so he couldn't arrive with us, but he'll be coming to London tonight." Ciel almost choked on his tea. Another eccentric houseguest? How would he cope?

Ciel cleared his throat and set his teacup back on its saucer. "Fine, fine. Sebastian, you'll have to prepare another room."

Sebastian replied merely with, "Certainly, my lord," as he was busy trying to contain Oz's numerous half-eaten cookies on one plate. Oz grinned, oblivious to the butler's efforts. He noticed how much more unreserved Ciel had become since their little fiasco. _We'll have to do something like that again soon_, he thought absentmindedly.

Ciel did not like the glint in Oz's eyes. Not one bit. He cleared his throat. "Well. I think it's time I had a bath. Oz, your room has an adjacent bathroom, so there shouldn't be any problems, but tell Sebastian if you need anything. Dinner will be at eight." Without another word, Ciel stood and walked off in the direction of one of the back staircases, seeming to have an aversion to the main foyer.

Sebastian glanced at the ornate grandfather cloak that decorated the east wall. _Four o'clock. _"Master Gilbert," Sebastian spoke, "I am reluctant to ask this of a guest, but Master Oz reports that you are quite adept at cooking. Would you please assist Bard in making tonight's dinner? I would do so myself, but a matter came up that I must tend to, and the other servants are horribly wanting in the culinary arts. Oh, and don't worry, I will provide Master Oz with any assistance he needs with his bath."

Gil brightened. One wouldn't think it to look at him, but Gilbert Nightray loved cooking. He found it relaxed him, creating delicious food that he and his friends could eat. A much more productive hobby than, say, needlepoint. "I would love to. You'll have to show me to the kitchen, though. I haven't quite figured out where everything is."

Sebastian smiled deeply. "Of course."

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**Gasp! What is this "matter" that Sebastian must attend to? Why did he want Gil to cook dinner? Who is coming to the Phantomhive Townhouse? Will Gil's cooking be delicious? [SPOILER: the answer to the last one is yes] **

**Oh, and if you're thinking Sebastian could have easily gone all ninja and bounced off the foyer walls, grabbing Ciel mid-flight and executing a perfect triple backflip before landing, I am in total agreement with you. I think Sebastian was just thinking that would be a tad too obvious in front of their guests. C:**

**If you've ever seen Downton Abbey, you will know that Oz's and Gil's bestfriendship coexisting with their master/servant relationship is unheard of. Thus Ciel's befuddlement.**

**Again, thank you for reading! Reviewers will have metaphorical laurels thrown at their feet. :D**


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